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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

IVILLIAM L. MARTIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE THORNDYKE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING CLEANING OR POLISHING CLOTHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,288, dated April 6, 1897.

Application filed April 14:, 1896. Serial No. 587,556. (Specimens) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-sin Processes of Manufacturing Cleaning or Polishing Cloths; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to an improved method or process of manufacturing cleaning or polishing cloths used for the purpose of cleaning and brightening silverware and other metals, articles, or substances, the object being to produce a cloth which will be useful and effectual fof the purpose mentioned; and the invention consists, essentially, in the process comprising the several steps hereinafter recited and in the composition of materials used in carrying out the process, all substantially as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

My improved process is intended to be carried on with some suitable cloth or textile fabric as a foundation material, which is to be treated in a peculiar and distinctive manner so as to convert it into a cloth or fabric having the polishing functionT'hen ribbed upon an article of silverware or other metal. I may, for example, take cotton cloth which is napped or gigged on one side. Although this is only one kind of cloth, here mentioned simply by way of illustration, yet it is evident that I can employ any other kind of textile fabric with equal facility. I preferably dye or color the cloth in order that it may present the appearance of chamois-skin. This feature, however, is not indispensable to my process, and, if desired, may be omitted, or the cloth may be subjected to some other preliminary application to give it such characteristics as may be desired.

The first step in the practical carrying out of my improved process is to subject the cloth or other textile fabric to the operation of sloppadding with a solution of sillcateof soda or water-glass, there being one part of silicate of soda to eight parts of water, although these proportions may be varied as much as maybe desired to produce different polishing qualities in. the resulting polishing-cloth. The cloth is thoroughly saturated with this bath, and the temperature of the bath is preferably about 160 Fahrenheit. The goods as they come outof the bath are saturated with the silicate of soda, and they are then dried or not, as preferred. The cloth is next passed through a solution of alum or sulfate of alumina and sulfuric acid, the latter ingredient being employed because there is not enough sulfuric acid in thealum to properly precipitate the silicate. This results in making an insoluble precipitate of silicate of alumina in the cloth. The proportion in which these ingredients are united is as follows: one pound of alum or sulfate of alumina to one ounce of sulfuric acid in one gallon of water at about 120 Fahrenheit. The cloth thus treated is then dried an d is ready for use. hen dried, it will possess a certain stiffness or rigidity on account of its thorough impregnation with minute glass particles. The treatment causes a precipitate in the cloth of the finest film of glass in the fiber, and this can only be seen by the microscope. \Vhen the cloth is crushed and is rubbed or cha'fed, or when it is brought into practical use by applying it to the surface of an article which is to be cleaned or polished, these minute glass particles break or disintegrate into the finest powder known, and hence have a remarkably excellent pol ishing quality.

If desired, the process may be reversed as to its steps; that is to say, the cloth may first be passed through a bath of sulfate of alumina and sulfuric acid, then not dried, but immediately passed through the solution of silicate of soda.

It will be understood that equivalent steps in the process may be substituted for those recited and equivalent ingredients for those employed may be substituted, and that the proportions of the several ingredients as well as other incidenials of the process may be consists in treating a cloth with a bath of sili- I o varied without departing from my invention, cate of soda, and also with a solution of. sulthe legitimate scope of which is to be deterfate of alumina and sulfuric acid.

mined by reference to the claims. 7 In testimony whereof I affix my signature 5 Having thus described myinvention, what in presence of two witnesses.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 'WM. L. MARTIN. Patent, is lVitnesses:

The herein-described improved process of JOHN H. TOO'DHEAD,

making cleaning or polishing cloths, which J. DOUGLASS TAYLOR. 

